Microaneurysm turnover in diabetic retinopathy assessed by automated RetmarkerDR image analysis--potential role as biomarker of response to ranibizumab treatment.

Purpose: To evaluate the influence of a ranibizumab treatment on microaneurysm (MA) turnover in diabetic retinopathy.

Methods: Sixty-nine eyes were included in this retrospective study. We compared a group of 33 eyes with ranibizumab treatment for diabetic macular edema to 36 eyes with nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy only.

Adiponectin pretreatment counteracts the detrimental effect of a diabetic environment on endothelial progenitors.

Objective: It has been shown that vascular progenitors from patients with diabetes are dysfunctional. However, therapeutic strategies to counteract their reduced functional capacity are still lacking. Because adiponectin has reported salutary effects on endothelial function, we investigated the functional effects of globular adiponectin (gAcrp), the active domain of adiponectin, on isolated endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFC).

Combination of injectable multiple growth factor-releasing scaffolds and cell therapy as an advanced modality to enhance tissue neovascularization.

Objective: Vasculogenic progenitor cell therapy for ischemic diseases bears great potential but still requires further optimization for justifying its clinical application. Here, we investigated the effects of in vivo tissue engineering by combining vasculogenic progenitors with injectable scaffolds releasing controlled amounts of proangiogenic growth factors.

Methods And Results: We produced biodegradable, injectable polylactic coglycolic acid-based scaffolds releasing single factors or combinations of vascular endothelial growth factor, hepatocyte growth factor, and angiopoietin-1.

Combined targeted treatment to eliminate tumorigenic cancer stem cells in human pancreatic cancer.

Background & Aims: Pancreatic cancers contain exclusively tumorigenic cancer stem cells (CSCs), which are highly resistant to chemotherapy, resulting in a relative increase in CSC numbers during gemcitabine treatment. Signaling through sonic hedgehog and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), respectively, may be essential for CSC self-renewal and could represent putative targets for novel treatment modalities.

Methods: We used in vitro and in vivo models of pancreatic cancer to examine the effects of sonic hedgehog inhibition (cyclopamine/CUR199691) and mTOR blockade (rapamycin) on the tumorigenic CSC population.

Prostaglandin E positively modulates endothelial progenitor cell homeostasis: an advanced treatment modality for autologous cell therapy.

Aims: The mobilization of endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) and their functioning in postnatal neovascularization are tightly regulated. To identify new modulators of EPC homeostasis, we screened biologically active prostaglandin E compounds for their effects on EPC production, trafficking and function.

Methods And Results: We found that EPC are a rich source for prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)), stimulating their number and function in an auto- and paracrine manner.